Page 28 of Faking It For Real

"The team has an afternoon practice," he said. "You could come take photos, and I could walk you home after?"

"That works," I agreed. "I'll be there."

Ethan signaled for the check, insisting on paying despite my protest. As we left the diner, the cold night air hit my face, making me shiver slightly. Without comment, Ethan moved to walk between me and the street, a small but noticeable gesture of chivalry.

"Which way are you headed?" he asked.

"Westfield Apartments," I replied. "About ten minutes that way."

"I'll walk you," he said, falling into step beside me.

"You don't have to do that," I said quickly. "We haven't officially started the fake relationship yet."

"It's after midnight," he pointed out. "Fake boyfriend or not, I'm not letting you walk home alone."

"Fine," I conceded. "But only because it's cold and having you as a windbreak is nice."

He laughed. "Happy to be of service."

We walked wrapped in a surprisingly comfortable silence, breaths pluming white in the cold air. Lamplight pooled gold on the deserted campus walkways, the quiet broken only by the crunch of our footsteps.

When my building loomed ahead, the silence stretched, and though we stopped right by the entrance, neither of us reached for the door just yet.

"So," I said, suddenly awkward again. "Tomorrow. Practice at 3?"

"I'll tell the security guard to expect you," he nodded. "You can set up wherever gives you the best angles."

"Thanks." I shifted my camera bag to my other shoulder. "For dinner, too."

"Anytime." He hesitated, then added, "This might actually work, you know."

"The fake relationship?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "We managed an entire meal without arguing once."

"A modern miracle," I agreed, returning his smile. "Maybe we're growing as people."

"Or maybe we're just really good actors," he suggested.

"Either way," I said, taking a step toward my building, "I guess we'll find out how convincing we can be."

"I guess we will." He waited until I reached the door before adding, "Goodnight, Mia."

"Goodnight, Ethan," I replied, surprised by the warmth in my voice.

As I rode the elevator to my floor, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd grossly miscalculated something important. This was supposed to be a simple business arrangement, yet our midnight meeting had felt almost enjoyable.

It's just good acting, I assured myself.Getting into character early.

Chapter 7: Ethan

I woke up feeling oddly optimistic, which was unusual for a Thursday morning. Typically, by this point in the week, I was running on fumes, dragging myself through practices and classes while counting down to the weekend. But today was different. Today, I had a plan.

The Vanessa situation had been weighing on me for weeks. After she ambushed me at that Halloween party, it felt like her shadow loomed over my season. She kept showing up at games, texting late at night, telling anyone who'd listen she wanted to get back together. With scouts watching my every move, I couldn't afford the distraction, and I definitely couldn't afford another relationship meltdown that might question my stability.

But now I had a solution. An unconventional one, sure, but a solution nonetheless.

"You've lost your goddamn mind," Dylan announced when I explained the arrangement over breakfast.

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